5 Ways To Optimize Your Holiday Marketing Plans With Analytics

Running an eCommerce store can be demanding. Throw in holiday season and it can quickly become even more challenging. The holiday season is super exciting for online stores due to increased sales but it can also be quite intensive. Not having your A-game will mean missing out on profit opportunities.

Here are some ways analytics can help in crafting a successful holiday marketing campaign.

1. Go over last year’s analytics

For the past year, pull up all the different data sources you have so you can get a broader picture of what worked during last year’s holiday season and what did not work. Depending on your business and the platforms used, these sources may include:

• Google Analytics

• PPC Analytics

• Email analytics

• Social media analytics

Additionally, you may have analytics from your SEO audience scouting tools, and any other digital platforms you use. Identify all the sources of analytics you have for a more complete view. You want to be able to look at how different data sets tell a complete story.

2. Identify your top marketing channels

With all your data layered in front of you, start figuring out which tactics and channels bring constant sales and leads, and most importantly the highest ROI. 

Google Analytics, for example, will show you where traffic is coming from, so you can track conversions. Keep in mind that tactics which don’t lead to immediate conversions may help drive people to the channels that eventually bring sales, so don’t rule out those social media posts that got people to your website even if visitors didn’t purchase on the first visit. On the subject of digital marketing and social media, it is imperative to understand why digital marketing is important for businesses looking to expand their sales and influence.  

3. Look up competition

Spying on competitors is not nearly as evil as it may sound. It’s simply a way of keeping an eye on their digital marketing strategies, content, keywords and so on. 

Gaining insight into competition is just as important for planning your strategy. By utilizing effective competitor spying tools, you can avoid any mistakes your competitors may have made. Moreover, you’re able to pick up effective business practices and apply them to your business.

4. Recycle your best content from past seasons

Content marketing may be a distant game but that doesn’t mean seasonal content can't pay off big if you nail it. Review the holiday content you crafted over the past few years and which pieces brought in new visitors and purchases. This can help you generate new ideas for content to create this year with a firm foundation of previous success. Was your gift guide a big hit last year? Put up a new one but make relevant adjustments for different audiences. Did the audience respond to your blog posts about holiday giving? Why not create a video around the same topic?

5. Highlight the best product on your most popular pages

In the Behaviour - Site Content section of Google Analytics, you may be able to see which pages of your website recorded the most visits. 

Each of these is an opportunity to drive more leads and conversions. Look at the products and promotions that performed the best during the holidays and use the popular pages to promote these products. Additionally, you should use analytics to create a strategy more likely to result in increased sales.